Note:
With the high cost of shipping many of our customers choose to ship by USPS. For small and light shipments this is usually less expensive, but please be aware that their estimates are notoriously wrong. The service is not always as economical as it may appear, particularly on larger or more valuable shipments. USPS estimates only include insurance up to $100 for its domestic shipments, and varying amounts for overseas shipments. If you ask for full insurance we will recalculate the shipping cost and send you an invoice for any difference in cost.

Under an Indigo Sky: West African Textile Art

April 12, 2018 to August 23, 2018

 

Second Thursday Reception:  April 12, May 10, 6 to 9pm

Special Event – Trunk show with Yoruba, Nigeria, Master indigo dyer Gasali Adeyemo:  Saturday, May 19th, 5 to 8pm.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 12 - 6:00 pm.

Location: Indigo Arts Gallery, 1400 North American St., #104, Philadelphia PA 19122 

Under an Indigo Sky:  West African Textile Arts celebrates the hue that has been our inspiration and our namesake for the last thirty-one years.  The exhibit offers a look at the rich tradition of indigo textiles in Africa, and the arts in indigo that flourish today.  These include both dyeing and weaving with natural indigo dyes in Africa.  Techniques include the cassava-resist dyed adire cloth of the Yoruba people of Nigeria, tie-dyed and stitch-resist dyed fabrics of the Bamana and Dogon people of Mali, and the Mossi of Burkina Faso and strip-woven wraps of the Baule of Ivory Coast, ashoké (aso oké) prestige cloths of the Yoruba, and kente cloth from the Ewe of Ghana and Togo. We are pleased to bring back Yoruba master indigo dyer and batik artist Gasali Adeyemo, for a trunk show on May 19th.  Mr. Adeyemo, who taught an indigo dyeing workshop here in 2012, will also be leading an indigo workshop at a location in Germantown (details will be added when they are available).

Gasali Adeyemo
Born in the small village of Offatedo in Osun State, Nigeria, Gasali Adeyemo showed an early skill for drawing.  He found time between work in the fields to sketch portraits of guests at funerals, weddings and naming ceremonies.  In 1990 he began studying at the Nike Center for Arts and Culture (founded by Nike Okundaye, the former wife of the late artist Twins Seven-Seven) in Oshogbo, Nigeria.  There he mastered the arts of indigo dyeing, batik, embroidery and appliqué.  After two years of study he stayed on to teach for another four years.  A 1995 exhibit of his artwork in Bayreuth, Germany led to a number of exhibits abroad.  In 1996 he exhibited his work in Iowa, and he subsequently settled in the United States.  Today he lives in New Mexico and conducts workshops and exhibits all over the country.

A Brief History of Indigo
As a word, indigo has been a symbol of many things, from the blues of "Mood Indigo" to the global cool of blue jeans.  Indigo dye, a vibrant deep-blue hue, is derived from a plant family called indigofera tinctoria. The dye process requires boiling or steeping the leaves of the Indigo plants and then fermenting the brew.  Once the fabric is dipped into the dye and lifted into the air it almost magically turns from bright green to a deep blue.  Each region has its own recipes and techniques, but in most cases it requires many successive dippings to attain the intense blue color we associate with indigo.

Indigo was grown in India, Indonesia, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Peru, and Africa. Each country has it's own history and traditions of dyeing with Indigo.  When indigo was first brought to Europe it was an instant sensation, largely replacing the much weaker blue hue of woad.  By the 17th century it had become a precious trading commodity, a "blue gold" which brought with it both great wealth and intense suffering.  Ships called "East Indiamen" crossed the seas laden with silks, spices and Indigo. 

In the new world indigo was by far the most valuable crop of the slave economy.  It was largely because of the cultivation of indigo by African slaves that Haiti became the most valuable colony in the New World.  In the mid-18th century indigo cultivation, also by slaves, was brought to South Carolina.  In India, the British colonial powers imposed indigo cultivation at the expense of food production to the extent that the peasants starved.  This led to the "Blue Mutiny" of 1861, in which the Bengali peasants rose up against the planters and refused to grow indigo.

In the United States the current cachet of indigo dates to 1873 when San Francisco merchant Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis first fashioned sturdy trousers for miners by reinforcing indigo-dyed denim with metal rivets.  The rest is history, as they say.  The invention of far cheaper aniline dyes in 1856 ultimately supplanted natural indigo dye in the world marketplace.  Though Levi Strauss & Co. stopped dyeing their jeans with natural indigo over a century ago, indigo, like blue jeans has persisted as a symbol of "cool" worldwide.

Large-scale indigo plantations died out in the 20th century, but small-scale cultivation has persisted in the parts of the globe where indigo dyeing and weaving are still treasured.  Traditional indigo artisans in locales as diverse as Mali, Nigeria, India and Japan have preserved old techniques.  Fortunately there are centers where the art form is being passed on to new generations.  One such center is the Nike Center for Arts and Culture in Oshogbo, Nigeria, where our guest artist, Gasali Adeyemo learned his craft.

Two recent documents recount the story of indigo, Catherine E. McKinley's book Indigo:  In Search of the Color that Seduced the World (2011), and Mary Lance’s documentary film:  Blue Alchemy : Stories of Indigo (2011).

Indigo Arts Gallery
Thirty-one years ago we opened a small store and gallery of international folk art in Philadelphia.  We sought a name that could tie together the many diverse countries and cultures from which we collected the work.  We chose the name Indigo, for the dye which infused the textiles from many of those countries - ikats from Indonesia and Guatemala, kente and ashoké from Ghana and Nigeria, tie-dyes from Japan and Mali and batiks from Java and China.  The word indigo evoked the sights, the smells and the sensory richness of far-off lands. Thanks to our customers, Indigo Arts Gallery is still here thirty-one years later.  It has evolved - moving physically four times and going online - and many of those "distant lands" no longer seem so far off.

 

 

Kuba Dance Skirt
SKU: KS-109

Raffia dance skirt (20th cent.)
Hand-woven raffia cloth with hand-sewn raffia cloth applique.  Natural dyes.
(18' - 0'' x 2' - 9.5''). 

$575

Kuba Dance Skirt
SKU: KS-108

Raffia dance skirt (20th cent.)
Hand-woven raffia cloth with hand-sewn raffia cloth applique.  Natural dyes.
(15' - 8'' x 2' - 3''). 

$550

Yoruba Tie-dye Cloth
SKU: BTK-14

Multi-color tie-dye on cotton damask fabric (180" x 48"). Partial views shown. 

$280

Yoruba Tie-dye Cloth
SKU: BTK-15

Multi-color tie-dye on cotton damask fabric (180" x 48"). Partial views shown. 

$280

Yoruba Indigo Batik Cloth
SKU: BTK-12

Hand-drawn batik on cotton damask fabric with Indigo dye (172" x 48"). Partial views shown. 

$280

Yoruba Batik Cloth
SKU: BTK-13

Hand-drawn batik on cotton damask fabric (172" x 48"). Partial views shown. 

$280

Ewe Kente Cloth "woman's wrap"
SKU: EKC-8

mid-20th cent.
12-strip cotton kente cloth, dyed with indigo and other dyes.
(60" l. x 38" w.)
Condition note:  some tears and gaps in stitchiing between strips, due to age.  See photos.

$265

Yoruba "Adire Alabere" Machine-Stitched resist Indigo-dyed Cotton Cloth
SKU: IND-124

Cotton fabric machine-stitched tie-dyed with natural indigo dye. Double-length ( 172" x 47"). Partial view shown.

$248

Yoruba Indigo Resist-dye "Adire Eleko" Cloth
SKU: IND-164

Cotton damask fabric cassava resist-dyed with natural indigo (88" x 49").
Partial views shown.

$220

Yoruba Indigo Resist-dye "Adire Eleko" Cloth
SKU: IND-136

Cotton damask fabric cassava resist-dyed with natural indigo (86" x 48"). Dyed in the traditional Yoruba "OK & Matches" or "Cube" pattern.  Partial view shown.

$210

Bamana Indigo Tie-dye Cotton Fabric
SKU: ind-37

Cotton fabric tie-dyed with natural indigo
(76" x 44") partial view shown.

$195

Indigo dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-151

Mossi people, Burkina Faso.
Strip-weave cotton fabric with fringe, dyed with natural indigo dye (86" x 45").

$195

Dogon Indigo stitch resist-dyed strip-weave cloth
SKU: ind-64

Strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye. (58" x 42")

$190

Indigo stitch-resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-154

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Five wide strips (60" x 46").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Indigo stitch-resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-155

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Nine strips (64" x 44").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Ewe Kente Cloth "woman's wrap"
SKU: EKC-9

mid-20th cent.
14-strip cotton kente cloth, dyed with indigo and other dyes
(partial view of piece shown)
(78"l. x 55"w.)

$750

Product Status: 
Sold
Ewe Kente Cloth "woman's wrap"
SKU: EKC-11

Mid-20th cent.
14-strip cotton kente cloth, dyed with natural indigo and chemical dyes.
(72" l. x 44" w.)

$600

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Ashoké (aso oke) Cloth
SKU: ASC-24

Yoruba region, Nigeria.  Mid-20th century.
13-Strip-woven cotton dyed with indigo w/ turquoise silk or synthetic fiber thread.
(82" l. x 52" w.)

$575

Product Status: 
Returned to Consignor
Indigo Ashoké (aso oke) Cloth
SKU: ASC-027

Yoruba region, Nigeria.  Mid-20th century.
7-Strip-woven cotton dyed with indigo w/ turquoise silk or synthetic fiber thread.
(72" l. x 27 1/2" w.)

$300

Product Status: 
Returned to Consignor
Yoruba Indigo Batik Cloth
SKU: BTK-11

Hand-drawn batik on cotton damask fabric with Indigo dye (172" x 48"). Partial view shown. 

$280

Product Status: 
Sold
 Yoruba "Adire Oniko" Indigo Tie-dye Cloth
SKU: IND-135

Cotton damask fabric tie-dyed with natural indigo (172" x 48"). Partial view shown.

$265

Product Status: 
Sold
Yoruba "Adire Alabere" Machine-stitch Resist Indigo-dyed Cotton Cloth
SKU: IND-121

Cotton fabric machine-stitched tie-dyed with natural indigo dye. Double-length ( 164" x 47"). Partial view shown.

$248

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Ashoké (aso oke) Cloth with Text
SKU: ASC-26

Yoruba region, Nigeria.  Mid-20th century.
4-Strip-woven cotton dyed with indigo w/ woven text ("ADEJOKE ORUNRE OLASANDE MOBAOKO - Original order of Olasande Mobaoko") and blue silk or synthetic fiber thread.
(72" l. x 16 1/2" w.)

$225

Product Status: 
Returned to Consignor
Indigo resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-141

Strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - five wide strips (75" x 51").

$220

Product Status: 
Sold
"Lizards" Yoruba Indigo Resist-dye "Adire Eleko" Cloth
SKU: IND-147

Cotton damask fabric cassava resist-dyed with natural indigo (88" x 49").  
Dyed in the traditional Yoruba "Lizards" pattern.  Partial views shown.

$210

Product Status: 
Sold
Yoruba Indigo Resist-dye "Adire Eleko" Cloth
SKU: IND-148

Cotton damask fabric cassava resist-dyed with natural indigo (103" x 50").  
Dyed in the traditional Yoruba "Lizards" pattern.  Partial views shown.

$210

Product Status: 
Sold
Vintage Indigo Resist-dye "Ndop" Cloth Pillow from Cameroon
SKU: INDPLW-08

Vintage "Ndop" cloth cotton fabric stitch-resist dyed with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind pillow designed and constructed in United States with antique fabric from the Cameroon.  12" x 20" pillow with linen backing.  Individual fabric designs will vary.

$195

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo resist-dyed strip-weav"Cowrie Shell" Indigo resist-dyed strip-weave cotton clothe cotton cloth
SKU: IND-152

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stencil-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Sixteen narrow strips (62" x 40").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-153

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric dyed with natural indigo dye - Seven wide strips (62" x 45").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Batik strip-weave cloth for International Day of Women
SKU: IND-134

Strip-weave cotton fabric batik-dyed with natural indigo dye, using stencil for resist (67" x 41").  Commemorates Journee Internationale de la Femme (International Day of Women).

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo stitch-resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-156

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Five wide strips (60" x 41").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-143

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Five wide strips (64" x 48").  Mossi people.

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo stitch-resist-dyed strip-weave cotton cloth
SKU: IND-157

Vintage strip-weave cotton fabric stitch-resist-dyed with natural indigo dye - Five wide strips (64" x 44").  
Mossi people, Burkina Faso.

$190

Product Status: 
Sold
Baule Indigo ikat strip-weave cotton fabric
SKU: IND-125

Baule people, Ivory Coast
Indigo and white ikat strip-weave (10-strip) cotton fabric, with overstitching of cotton thread dyed with other colors.
(60" x 42").  Vintage fabric with some minor staining and tears, as shown.

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Baule Indigo ikat strip-weave cotton fabric
SKU: IND-140

Ivory Coast.
Indigo and white ikat strip-weave (10-strip) cotton fabric, with overstitching of cotton thread dyed with other colors.
(56" x 41"). 

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Baule Indigo ikat strip-weave cotton fabric
SKU: IND-145

Baule people, Ivory Coast.
Indigo and white ikat strip-weave (10-strip) cotton fabric, with cotton thread dyed with other colors.
(56" x 44").  Vintage fabric, as shown.

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Ashoké (aso oke) Cloth
SKU: ASC-25

Yoruba region, Nigeria.  Mid-20th century.
3-Strip-woven cotton dyed with indigo w/ woven text ("ADEJOKE ORUNRE OLASANDE MOBAOKO - Original order of Olasande Mobaoko") and blue silk or synthetic fiber thread.
(72" l. x 13 1/2" w.)

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Baule Indigo ikat strip-weave cotton fabric
SKU: IND-158

Baule people, Ivory Coast.
Indigo and white ikat strip-weave (10-strip) cotton fabric, with cotton thread dyed with other colors.
(58" x 40").  Vintage fabric, as shown.

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Vintage "hand-pattern" Indigo tie-dyed strip-weave cloth
SKU: ind-84

Strip-weave cotton fabric tie-dyed with natural indigo dye, with added multicolor yarn fringe & mending. (65" x 42")

$175

Product Status: 
Sold
Batik Shawl on Rayon by Gasali Adeyemo
SKU: BTRS-019

Gasali Adeyemo - Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Hand-drawn batik on rayon/cotton fabric with natural and synthetic dyes .
(68" x 28").

$125

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Tie-dye T-shirt by Gasali Adeyemo - Extra Large
SKU: GSTS-30

Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Indigo Tie-dye on cotton T-shirt with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind design.
Size:  Men's Extra-Large

$75

Product Status: 
Sold
Batik Scarf on Silk by Gasali Adeyemo
SKU: BTSS-19

Gasali Adeyemo - Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Hand-drawn batik on silk fabric with natural and synthetic dyes .
(68" x 8").

$68

Product Status: 
Sold
Batik Scarf on Silk by Gasali Adeyemo
SKU: BTSS-20

Gasali Adeyemo - Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Hand-drawn batik on silk fabric with natural and synthetic dyes .
(68" x 8").

$68

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Tie-dye T-shirt by Gasali Adeyemo - Large
SKU: GSTS-22

Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Indigo Tie-dye on cotton T-shirt with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind design.
Size:  Men's Large

$60

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Tie-dye T-shirt by Gasali Adeyemo - Extra Large
SKU: GSTS-14

Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Indigo Tie-dye on cotton T-shirt with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind design.
Size:  Men's Extra Large

$60

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Tie-dye T-shirt by Gasali Adeyemo - Extra Large
SKU: GSTS-24

Indigo Tie-dye on cotton T-shirt with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind design.
Size:  Men's Extra Large

$60

Product Status: 
Sold
Indigo Tie-dye T-shirt by Gasali Adeyemo - Medium
SKU: GSTS-21

Yoruba people, Oshogbo, Nigeria,
Indigo Tie-dye on cotton T-shirt with natural indigo dye.  One of a kind design.
Size:  Men's Medium

$60

Product Status: 
Sold
Tie-dyed Scarf by Aissata Namoko
SKU: IND-162

Mali.
Cotton fabric tie-dyed with natural dyes. (76" x 20").

$58

Product Status: 
Sold